


The Doctor Will See You Now

by BuckyAndDanno



Series: Evan Buckley-Severide Fics [10]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV), Chicago Med
Genre: Angst, Buck Begins Again, Cardiothoracic Attending Buck, Dr Evan Buckley, Evan Buckley-Severide, Family Feels, Feels, Genius Buck, M/M, Severide Bros in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27269422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckyAndDanno/pseuds/BuckyAndDanno
Summary: Instead of filing the lawsuit, Buck takes Eddie’s words to heart and looks to a new career path, utilising the MD he’d worked so hard for and that very few people knew about (because he’s not as dumb or reckless as people like to believe. He just cares a lot). Putting the 118 behind him, he starts as LA Med’s new Cardiothoracic Attending where he meets Dr Will Halstead, and sparks fly. When tragedy strikes the 118, will they realise what they’ve lost? Will Eddie?
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Will Halstead
Series: Evan Buckley-Severide Fics [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1929325
Comments: 68
Kudos: 423





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, like, one person asked for a Buck/Will story, but this has been rolling around in my head for a while anyway, so enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own 9-1-1, or the One-Chicago verse. I’m just using them for my own enjoyment (and yours!).

Evan Buckley had always prided himself on his intelligence. Even when his father had thought him useless, Buck knew otherwise.

He wouldn’t call himself a genius, and didn’t like it when others did, if he was honest, but he knew that an IQ of 159 and an eidetic memory was nothing to be sniffed at. So, the first chance he got, he was out of Hershey and into Maryland, with a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins.

He graduated top of his class, summa cum laude, completing the four year course in three. He put everything he had into his desire to help people, and made every action purposeful and with benefit, throwing himself into many hours of volunteer work, extra courses, and seminars.

But just when he’d received a job offer from Johns Hopkins Hospital as a Cardiothoracic Fellow, Benny – his mother’s husband and whom he’d always thought of as his real Dad – had gotten ill. So he’d moved straight to Chicago, even missing his actual degree ceremony, and gotten a job at Chicago Med.

And he’d loved it, for a while anyway.

When Benny passed in the halls of the same hospital he worked at, Buck had found every moment of work echoing with his ghost. It quickly became apparent that he couldn’t function well there, his grief taking over, and so had retrained as a firefighter with the CFD. Only months into his candidacy at Firehouse 51 though, his brother’s own grief had spiralled out of control, leaving the two at odds, and where Chicago had once been home, it no longer felt that way.

So he travelled to LA, completed his probation at Station 118, and found a new family there.

And for a while, he was happy.

Of course, in Evan Buckley’s life, good things never lasted long, and a grief stricken kid with a vendetta against his Captain had almost cost Buck his life. With it, it cost him his happiness.

He was kept away from the 118, told he wasn’t ready by Bobby, and that the LAFD wanted him on light duty.

Evan Buckley, who wanted nothing more than to help people, who had held someone’s heart literally in his hands, was being told to sit behind a desk.

That was something he could not, would not, do.

So he’d been ready to fight for his position, for his place on that truck. He’d been ready to do whatever it took to get back to where he belonged.

Until he’d walked into the station one day to overhear Eddie, his then best friend, and the rest of the team talking about him.

_“…hasn’t left his apartment in a week.”_

_“Suck it up and move on.”_

_“What does Buck have?”_

The pressure that had been building in his chest had erupted in a sob then, and he’d left without another word, without them knowing that he’d been there in the first place.

It had hurt him deeply to hear those words, but it hadn’t broken him, not completely.

No, that came after the tsunami, when his spirit had been damaged that much more, when he’d been so close to rock bottom, only to see his name taped over with Lena Bosko’s; to see Eddie go to her instead of him.

That was the moment Evan Buckley broke.

And so, with more of Eddie’s words revolving around in his fragile psyche – _“life isn’t over just because you’re not a firefighter anymore”_ – he’d decided that enough was enough.

If the 118 didn’t want him – if they thought he was nothing more than a cheap laugh and a babysitter – then he didn’t want them either.

If they didn’t care, thought him dumb and untrustworthy – reckless – then he would do exactly as he had in Hershey.

He would leave.

For a few days he’d thought about going back to Chicago – his relationship with his brother had improved so much more once they’d both learned to actually talk about their feelings – but he’d realised that while that could give him the closure he needed, it wouldn’t do what he actually wanted.

It wouldn’t show the 118 that he was fine without them.

And yes, maybe that was petty, but Evan was hurt by their actions – or lack thereof – and their words.

Leaving also meant losing Christopher.

So he looked to LA Med instead, and like it was meant to be the Doctor who had been assigned to him after the truck bombing – Oliver “Ollie” Simmons – said they were looking for a cardio-thoracic attending, and that he’d put Evan’s name forward.

Days later, a contract arrived in the post.

One swift signature, and Evan felt on top of the world.

He didn’t tell the 118.

Again he knew it was petty but the fact remained that none of them had told him about Lena – **Bobby** hadn’t told him that it was his decision to keep Buck benched, not the LAFD – so he honestly didn’t feel that he owed them anything at all.

Instead he’s surprised to get a call from Bobby on the morning of his first day at Med, frown marring his face as he answers.

“Bobby?”

“Hey, kid.” Bobby replies, and just the use of the old nickname sends a shudder through Buck. The man he’d once looked up to, he realises now, thought of him as nothing more than a child. “Uh… Chief Alvarez just sent over your official resignation…”

“Yep.” Buck responds, half distracted as he packs a couple of protein bars and bananas into his bag. He’s not expecting anything too hectic for his first day, but he knows from previous positions how easy it can be to not have time for anything more than a snack.

“I… I didn’t realise you weren’t coming back.”

Buck almost rolls his eyes. “I was under the impression you didn’t want me back.” He certainly wasn’t against remaining friends with them all, but he wasn’t going to hold back his punches when he’d barely seen any of them for two weeks.

“Buck… that… that was never…”

“That not why you didn’t tell me about Bosko?” Buck responds, and when Bobby’s stuttered response makes absolutely no sense, he rolls his eyes again, zipping his bag shut and hoisting it onto his shoulder. “Look, it’s fine Bobby. We all know I needed to move on, so… don’t worry about it.”

Again the LAFD Captain is lost for words.

“I gotta go. First day and all.” He says, and the tease makes him grin. “Bye.”

Okay, so maybe that was completely petty, but he loves the thrill of satisfaction that runs through him. Phone turned off and slid into the pocket on his bag, he heads off to LA Med, a beaming grin decorating what was previously a rather sad face.

He makes it to Med in record time, but where the walls had previously held bad memories, the sun shines through the windows and partitions, lighting up the hallways, and to Buck it looks like the end of the rainbow.

A new beginning.

He signs in quickly at the front desk and is shown to the locker room, where a pristine new white coat is already waiting for him.

_Dr. Evan Buckley, MD_

_Cardiothoracic Surgery_

Another thrill runs through him.

Sliding his bag into the locker and then slipping on his new coat and ID card, he waits for the person assigned to show him around. A part of him half expects Ollie, so when a tall man with russet hair enters the locker room, he almost doesn’t pay him any heed.

“Dr Buckley?”

The man is watching him with a smile, coat reading _Dr. William Halstead, MD_ with _Emergency Medicine_ stitched underneath.

Evan blinks, taken aback by the amused twinkle in the man’s eyes, and smiles, extending his hand. “Call me Evan.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love on chapter one! I'm glad you all love this idea!
> 
> One person did mention not really liking Will because he's so cocky/brash, and I understand that. I will say that I'm changing the Halstead backstory just a little; so Will is still increasingly confident in his abilities, but is much more in touch with his own feelings also. He'll be brash and intrusive at times, but never in an unlovable way (I hope). Also, what's interesting about his personality, in this situation, with Buck, is how he is going to help Buck with his self esteem issues as a result of the 118's actions, and bring to the forefront Evan's confidence and pride. Similarly, Buck is going to keep Will in check with his emotions. I feel like they're very much a Yin/Yang pairing.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own 9-1-1 or the One-Chicago verse!

"Will." The man grins, shaking his hand. "I've been assigned to show you around."

"Oh, good. That's..." Somehow the quirky turn of the man's lips and those cerulean eyes turn him into a pool of jello. "That's good."

Get a hold of yourself, Buckley, he chastises himself with a shake of the head, forcing his sweaty palm back down to his side.

"It's good to meet you." He says quickly. "I'm looking forward to working here."

"It's an interesting place, that's for sure." Will chuckles. "Where did you come from?"

"Station 118." He admits truthfully, still a little bit surprised when he doesn't feel even a pang of sorrow.

"Firefighter?" Will raises a brow, seemingly impressed. "What made you change?" He sees the flash of pain that clouds Buck's eyes, and immediately holds a hand up. "Sorry. I'm not meaning to overstep."

"It's fine." Buck shrugs, closing his locker door and looping his stethoscope around his neck. They exit into the hallway, starting back towards the reception. "Honestly, I didn't belong there anymore."

Will nods. "I know what you mean."

Buck senses that there's another story there, but he also senses it's not wise to pry, not this early anyway. Instead he simply gives Will a smile. "Well here's to finding our place in the world then."

Will grins and bumps his shoulder. "Here, here."

For the next hour, Will tours him around the entirety of the hospital, even going so far as to point out which cafeteria foods to avoid.

It's strange, but Evan hasn't taken to someone (or had them take to him) so quickly in a very long time, and he can't deny how nice it feels.

It does help as well that Will's smile is extremely disarming. Not that he would admit that, if asked; he was, in some ways, still working through the loss of Eddie and what they might have become.

His feelings for his best friend had neither come slowly nor all at once. It had been an accumulation of time and closeness, he supposed; two things he now no longer had. And while most of him looked toward the future, part of him still mourned what he had lost.

That said, it wasn’t wrong of him to look further afield, was it?

“… and the best food truck is definitely the one to the north parking lot.” Will finishes, still grinning even though Evan is sure his jaw must be loose from all the talking he’s done. “Never the east wing. Just… don’t…”

Evan grins back. “Noted.”

“So, don’t take this the wrong way,” Will says as they wind their way towards the Emergency Department, “we know you’re not a newbie or anything, but seeing as any cardio patients are already assigned and there’s no surgeries scheduled for today, Nisha thought it would be good for you to shadow a couple of the departments. Just to get a feel for how we all work and such?”

“Sounds good to me.” Evan replies, and he’s sure his eyes have brightened considerably at the thought of getting to help people once again. If he claps his hands together with glee, there’s hardly anyone who can call him out on his enthusiasm.

He doesn’t notice the way Will pauses for a moment, watching him, nor the smile that slowly spreads over the other man’s face.

_“I gotta go. First day and all. Bye.”_

Those words echo around in Bobby Nash’s mind for a long while after the call ends, and he wonders how in the world he could have screwed things up so badly.

When the firetruck had exploded, when he’d seen Evan pinned underneath, all he could think was that he couldn’t lose him; that he couldn’t lose another son. Yet he’d pushed it all down, packed it away – because at the end of the day Evan wasn’t his son – when the man said he wanted to return; when he’d pushed and pushed and worked and shown everyone he could still do the job.

It wasn’t his place to say otherwise.

Then Buck had an embolism, nearly died again, and Bobby couldn’t hold back that time. He had to tell him to consider light duty – had to push him away from danger.

Of course, like most things, it backfired.

And then Evan was caught in the tsunami.

It was almost like fate had it out for Evan Buckley, and Bobby Nash was determined to do all he could to save Evan for himself.

So he pushed him away. He tried to make the boy see reason; see that he wasn’t ready.

Not yet anyway.

Bobby knew he would let Buck back eventually, when he was sure the boy was safe and healthy, but that wasn’t now. It couldn’t be now.

He wasn’t ready.

Yet it seemed he had overstepped his boundaries, pushed him away too much, and now… now, Buck wasn’t coming back.

Bobby sighs heavily, letting his head rest in his hands, and wonders why he’d screwed things up so badly.

He wasn’t surprised that Buck had gotten a job somewhere else, if he truly was leaving the department, but what hurt Bobby was the way Buck didn’t offer even a glimmer of information; not even a shred of something.

What hurt was the way Buck dismissed him so easily, as if he really believed that Bobby hadn’t wanted him back.

But then… had Bobby really given him anything else to think?

His nails dig into the tender skin of his palms, a groan escaping his lips, tears dripping softly onto the mahogany desk.

“What have I done?”

Buck isn't sure how long he was supposed to be in the ED for, but he's pretty certain Will is keeping him for longer.

Why, he isn't sure, but he certainly isn't complaining.

The two work together in an unplanned synchronicity, triaging and treating everyone who comes into the ED that morning.

And then, like he was meant to be there, a short, sharp clang echoes from outside. Moments later, a man comes rushing in.

"Someone just hit the railing!"

Buck and Will only need to share a look before they're snapping on clean gloves and racing outside.

There, at the entrance to the ED, a car has crashed into the railing that edges the wheelchair access ramp. On first glance, it doesn't look too bad, but the woman in the driver's seat - around 50 - is unconscious.

Buck pulls his stethoscope from around his neck in one swift movement, attending to the driver's side door and checking the woman's vitals. He can't see any outward sign of injury and he knows from being a firefighter that the minimal impact trauma to the car means she wasn't going too fast. He quickly determines that her unconsciousness is therefore likely an internal issue - mind running through all the possibilities at once - and therefore likely the actual cause of the crash.

"She's tachycardic." He tells Will, hearing the rapid thump pulsing in his ears. "Short breath sounds."

"Cardiogenic shock." Will responds with a nod, waving over another ED doctor who's carrying a neck brace and backboard.

"Heart attack." Buck confirms. "We need to get her in now." Either it's the determination in his voice, or perhaps everyone simply knows he was a firefighter, but no-one argues when he takes the two items from the other doctor and begins extracting the patient.

Within moments, she's inside and on a trauma bay bed.

"Get me 1cc of Nitro and administer a Thrombolytic!" Buck shouts, hooking the woman up to a heart monitor, BP cuff and oxygen. "I need an ECG!"

Nurses rush around them, administering the medicine and hooking up the new machine. Paper spews from the reader and Buck's gaze narrows at the readouts. "Definite heart attack, but..." The readout slowly becomes more erratic as moments pass. He shakes his head, pressing his stethoscope to the woman's chest again. "Is that...?"

Will presses his own stethoscope to the woman's chest, lips pressed into a straight line as he nods. "Muffled heart sounds."

Buck raises his head. "See the neck vein?" The woman's jugular is clearly visible beneath sallow skin. "BP's way too low. Beck's triad." His head whips around to the nearest nurse. "I need an Echo!"

It confirms his concern.

"Valve's damaged, possibly as a result of the blunt force?" He's more thinking to himself at that point. "Hit the steering wheel?" He shakes himself free of the thoughts, focusing on the now. "I'm gonna need a theatre, NOW!"

As the woman is rushed off down the hall, Buck alongside her, Will takes a second to clap his shoulder.

"Nice catch."

Buck gives him a wry smile. "Keep the congratulations until after I save her life."

This… This is what he was born to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks for the love! Hope you enjoy this one :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own 9-1-1 or the one-Chicago verse!

So much for a seemingly quiet first day, Buck thinks as he scrubs up and enters the OR.

The woman is being put under anaesthesia, intubated and hooked up to a heart monitor by his medical team. The steady – if a little slow – beep that fills the room gives Buck hope; she’s fighting, and he’s gonna do his best to make sure she pulls through.

Yet as he makes his way into the room, a call from one of the surgical staff has his stomach twisting into a knot. He can hear the concern, the dark insinuation, in her voice.

“Doctor, I think you should see this…”

He looks over to the table, almost stopping dead as he sees the array of bruising – old and new – decorating the woman’s side from armpit to hip. The most severe are located around the chest cavity, and suddenly Buck is all too aware that this heart attack might not be as simply as constricted blood vessels and a tired muscle. Suddenly, the crash, the damaged valve, take a more sinister turn.

His hands clench inside his gloves, nodding to the person who spoke. “Take photographic evidence and send it over to PD with Dr Halstead’s accident report.”

As she carries out his request, Buck forces himself to breathe deep, and calm himself. He needs to focus on saving her life.

The rest can, and will, come later.

Bobby isn’t sure how long he is sat in his office for before the bells start ringing, and it takes him a moment to actually process the change. Even on leaving he’s certain that his face must show his emotions, because immediately Chim is frowning at him.

“You okay, Cap?”

Bobby blinks. “Huh? Yeah…”

It’s clearly not convincing, because Chim is still frowning deeply at him as they climb into the truck. “Is it Buck?”

It’s no secret that Buck is both the 118’s golden retriever, and its heart. The team have been nothing but worried about him since the accident, but opted to give him space. With him not being able to return to the station yet, they thought seeing them too often might just bring any of those feelings to the forefront.

That said, they were missing him dearly, and the worry hadn’t faded.

So of course seeing his Captain’s expression being so forlorn and dejected would immediately make him think it was something to do with Buck.

Bobby sighs. “It’s fine.”

“It’s fine, or he’s fine?” Chim responds, brow raised. “You’re not making things sound any better Cap.”

There’s an indistinct mumble before Bobby busies himself collating the information from dispatch.

“What was that?” Hen asks, her own suspicions and concern raised now.

Bobby sighs again. “I said, he’s not coming back.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie practically jumps in his seat, eyes wide. “You said he was coming back when he’s ready.”

“I thought wrong.” Bobby replies. “Call is for a single vehicle accident at LA Med. One casualty.”

Eddie shifts, worry giving way to fury. “What do you mean you thought wrong?!”

Chim shakes his head, wishing he hadn’t asked now. “Eddie, maybe now isn’t the time.”

Eddie just whips his heated gaze towards him, and then back to Cap. “Cap? Is he okay?”

“I got his official resignation this morning.” Bobby replies, and any of them in the back can see the way his hand is gripping the edge of the dashboard in front of him. “He’s starting elsewhere.”

“He got something else?” Eddie asks, and they can hear the shock and hurt in his voice. It’s no surprise being that the two were not only partners but best friends.

“Wouldn’t tell me where.” Bobby replies. “And I’m guessing he doesn’t want us to ask so… let it go, Diaz.”

“No, I’m not going to just let it go, Cap! He’s my best friend!”

“And how often have you seen him?!” Bobby whips around in his seat, hurt giving way to his own anger; but at himself, at them, not at Buck. “He said that we didn’t want him back, Eddie, and do you think we’ve given him any reason to believe otherwise?!”

Chim flinches, watching as Eddie’s mouth parts without sound, eyes wide still. The two stare at each other for a long moment, before Eddie reluctantly leans back in his seat, muttering, “This is so wrong.”

Chim just about hears Bobby’s response of; “You’re telling me.”

They arrive at the scene quiet, an air of both regret and self-depreciation surrounding them. Bobby quietly tells Eddie and Hen to go around the driver’s side, while he and Chim set up a recovery winch to pull the car away from where it’s hit.

The car is at an odd angle with the railing surrounding the disabled ramp leading to the ER doors, but they’re surprised to find the driver’s side door already open and no sign of a passenger.

“We already took her in.” Someone tells them, and Bobby looks up to see a man in a white coat standing outside the ER doors.

“Are you serious?” Eddie says, and they can all tell that some of his earlier anger is still at the surface. “You’re supposed to wait for us.”

“No time.” The man – a doctor who’s coat reads _Dr. Will Halstead, MD_ , Chim notes – shrugs. “We are trauma trained you know?”

“It doesn’t – “ Eddie starts, but Bobby cuts him off with a raised hand.

“It’s fine.” He says, approaching the man. “There doesn’t look to be any structural damage, so we’ll just wench it back into the parking lot so a tow can pick it up. Do you mind explaining what happened though?”

“I believe that’s my question, dear.” A familiar voice says, every member of the 118 turning to see Athena exiting her patrol car. She takes a step to her husband’s side, smiling up at the doctor. “Sergeant Grant, LAPD.”

“Dr Halstead.” He replies, shaking her hand. “Would you rather go inside, or…?”

“Inside is fine.” She replies, then follows him through the doors, giving Bobby’s shoulder a quick squeeze as she passes. When she exits a short while later, having let them know she would be back once the victim was out of surgery to speak to the other doctor, the first thing she does is go to her husband.

Bobby is just packing up the rig – car safely moved into the lot to await a tow – when he sees his wife approach. He tries for a smile, even if he’s sure it comes out more as a grimace.

She looks at him and he knows he’s fooling no-one.

“You wanna tell me what that was about?”

“What?”

She rests her hands on her hips and stares him down like he’s a criminal. “Eddie, almost about to get into a fight with that man?”

Bobby sighs. “It’s fine.”

“That why you look completely distraught?” She replies, raising a brow. “It doesn’t take a wife or an officer to know something’s up.”

“Buck’s gone.”

The gloves peel off with a snap, a sickly shlurp accompanying their descent into the medical waste bin. Quickly running his hands under warm water and a generous amount of disinfectant soap, Evan Buckley sighs heavily.

The surgery was, in all, a success, but it’s always down to the patient to fight, and it had been touch and go once or twice during.

He’s hopeful for a positive outcome, but the realities of this job were never easy before, and they certainly aren’t now.

Despite his bone tired weariness though, he’s pleasantly surprised to see Will waiting for him outside the OR, and offers the man a small smile.

“She should be okay.”

“That’s good.” Will replies, but it’s only as Evan comes to a stop in front of him that he can see the apprehension on the other man’s face.

Evan frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“The 118 were here.” Will tells him softly. “Along with a Sergeant named Athena Grant?”

Buck swallows the sudden onslaught of bile that rises in his throat. “For… For this, or…?”

“For her.” Will nods. “They came to move the car, and she was asking for witness statements. Said she would be back later to talk to the vic.”

Evan sighs, scrubbing hands over his face. “She talk to you?”

“Yeah. Wanted a statement.” Will tells him, handing Evan a steaming mug of coffee. He knows himself how tiring long surgeries can be. “She wanted to talk to you too.”

“You didn’t…?”

Will shakes his head. “You only mentioned the 118, but from her interaction with the Captain, I guessed she was involved somehow too. I didn’t mention your name or anything.”

Buck releases a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, chest feeling somewhat lighter. “Okay… thanks.”

“What do you want to do if she comes back?”

“Apart from avoid her like the plague?” Evan replies, and though he only half means it. The sentiment there isn’t all wrong. “I suppose I’ll have to deal.”

“You okay?” Will asks, and though they’ve only known each other less than a day, Evan feels his heart warm.

“I will be.” He answers truthfully. “I just thought I’d have more time.”

“Don’t we all.”

Athena arrives back at the hospital in the evening once her shift is over, heading straight to the reception desk. “I was wondering if the Jane Doe from this morning’s car accident was awake?” She doesn’t even entertain the idea that the woman hadn’t pulled through, not after Dr Halstead said their best cardiothoracic surgeon was working on her.

Luckily, the woman behind the desk simply gives her a smile and says, “She woke up around an hour ago, although she’s been rather withdrawn. She may not want to talk.”

“I can understand that.” Athena replies after the woman gives her the room number and a visitor’s pass, and from what she’s already gathered of the situation, she knows exactly why the woman isn’t talking. Athena knows she’s going to do her best to assure the woman that she’s safe. “Could you also let me know if her surgeon is available? I believe he also saw the accident.”

The woman nods. “Of course. If you head on up, I’ll page Dr Buckley and see if he’s available to speak to you.”

Athena jolts. Maybe it’s her husband’s words echoing around in her subconscious since he spoke them, or maybe its her own guilt for not having checked on the boy more, but just hearing his surname is like a stab to the heart.

She knows it’s not him, of course. You don’t just walk into a job as a surgeon, after all, but it still saddens her.

It still reminds her of how much she failed him.

She nods and heads upstairs to the Critical Care Unit, where the patient’s room is, knocking gently on the door. There’s the barest of murmurs from the room, but Athena takes them as green to enter.

The woman lying on the bed is slightly curled, making her appear smaller, and is pale and gaunt. She’s not exactly malnourished, but definitely underfed. Her eyes are like sinkholes as they meet Athena’s gaze.

“Hi. I’m Athena.” She starts, gently approaching the woman. “I’m a police officer.”

Immediately the woman starts shaking, moving her head from side to side. “No, no, no…” She murmurs softly.

Athena carefully holds her hand out, not touching the woman, but showing a sign of care. “It’s okay. I’m here to help keep you safe.”

The woman just blinks at her.

“Can you tell me your name?”

Another blink. “S… S… Sar…a…”

“Sara.” Athena smiles. “That’s a lovely name. Now, I need to ask you a few questions about today, when you were in your car… is that okay?”

In an instant, the woman’s shaking intensifies. “No, no, no, no…” She’s shaking her head rapidly, inching away from Athena, all the while the machine’s attached to her start beeping more rapidly, emitting warning sounds and flashing.

In an instant a nurse is in the room, checking the monitors and trying to calm the woman down. All Athena can do is stand back and watch as the woman starts gasping for breath, eyes rolling into the back of her head.

The nurse quickly jabs the emergency call button, a “code blue, code blue” warning then emitting from the sound system. They quickly lay the woman flat on the bed, and then race to the door, poking their head out to the nearby nurse’s station.

“Someone page Doctor Buckley, now!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely comments!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own 9-1-1 or the One-Chicago verse!

Buck has just sat down to finish off his paperwork before he goes home when the first page comes through. The code that flashes up – police request – sends a nausea through his body.

Athena.

Of course she would be assigned to the case, and of course, being the good cop she is, she can’t leave well enough alone. Yet all Evan wants to do now is hide in his lab coat and pretend he isn’t there.

So he ignores it.

It isn’t that she’s the problem exactly. Athena had, apart from their rocky start, been nothing but good to him since he arrived in LA. It was more that Bobby is her husband, Hen her best friend, and Evan knows that as soon as she knows where he is, they will too.

For once, he just wanted his own little bubble.

For once, he wanted something that wasn’t intruded upon or destroyed.

He tries to focus back on his paperwork, but the pager on his hip is like a lead weight. Then it buzzes again, and Buck’s heart speeds up.

_Code Blue. CCU 14._

The female patient he’d just operated on.

He sprints out of the room like the fires of hell are at his door, but when it comes to Athena Grant, maybe they are.

The Critical Care Unit lives up to its name when the hallway is filled with flashing blue lights, a couple of nurses rushing into the room she was just asked to leave, followed by a tall, blonde haired doctor.

Athena blinks, almost dreamlike, at what’s happening, little as she can see through the door’s window or hear through the cracks at its edges.

“…then the arythmia started…” She can hear the first nurse who entered the room explain, followed quickly by the sound of another;

“She’s hypertensive and tachycardic… possibly another heart attack.”

The voice sounds oddly familiar, but in all the rush and panic Athena finds she can’t quite place it.

“She’s going into V-Fib!”

“Paddles!”

“Charging!”

“Clear!”

Athena doesn’t think she’ll escape the dull thump that echoes in her mind for a long while. Her mind blanks completely, and she doesn’t know how long passes before she hears the call of;

“Normal sinus rhythm!”

It’s followed by a deep exhaling breath and then softly spoken but terse words. “I want another ECG and another Echo. If there isn’t another bleeder and she’s stable, then send her down for an MRI. When she’s awake again, someone please page for the psychiatric consult.”

The voice clicks with her suddenly, mouth agape as the man in question steps from the room, heaving a sigh as he looks at her. “She won’t be up for more questioning any time soon.”

“Buck…” Every neuron in her brain is suddenly firing at once; why is he here? Why was he in that room? Why did he sound like he knew what he was doing? “You do know that impersonating a doctor is a serious offence…?” She isn’t quite sure what makes her say it, but she can’t reconcile the image in front of her with the man she knows.

From the twitch of Buck’s eyes, she knows it was the wrong thing to say immediately. Her brain backpedals, mouth opening to apologise, but then the cold words that spew from his lips have her stopping once again.

“That’s an interesting fact, Athena, but I’m not sure how that’s relevant here.”

All at once she takes him in completely; specifically the long white coat and the bold red stitching that reads _Dr. Evan Buckley, MD. Cardiothoracic Surgery._ Once again, her mind blanks. “You… You’re…”

His expression gives nothing away. “Dr. Evan Buckley. Attending Cardiothoracic Surgeon.”

“You… I didn’t mean…”

“Yes. You did.” He says softly, but she can hear the hurt in his voice. “I’m a lot smarter than people give me credit for, Sergeant Grant.”

The formality of his tone makes her flinch. “Bobby said you’d started somewhere else.”

“Heck of a first day.” He shrugs, snapping off the latex gloves from his hands and dumping them into the nearby bin. He pumps two lots of antibacterial sanitizer on them, scrubbing them together almost viciously. “But the 118 made it clear where we stand.”

“They…”

“Don’t.” He shakes his head, looking back at her. “They made their choice. I made mine, and I’d appreciate it if that choice was respected.”

He doesn’t mean his choice to work there, and she knows it.

“Of course, Buck.” It’s the only thing she can say really. The only promise she can make to try and salvage their own relationship. After a moment of awkward silence, she says, “Are you happy?”

He blinks at her, once, twice, then murmurs, “I could be.”

It has to be enough, for now anyway, as he gives her the barest of smiles then turns and heads down the corridor.

He doesn’t glance back.

She lies awake, later that evening, staring at the ceiling with intense fascination, counting each swirl, dent and pot mark. From the consistent shift and dip of the bed beside her, she can tell Bobby is doing the same.

“Why did you push him away?” She whispers softly.

There’s a sharp intake of breath, a short stuttering exhale, and then her husband replies. “I don’t know.”

It’s perhaps the most truthful he’s been this whole time.

She wants to say more, wants to tell him about the hospital, but she knows she can’t do that to Buck; knows she can’t break that unspoken promise. Instead she says;

“What do we do now?”

Only silence answers her.

It’s around 9pm when Buck gets in from work, having turned down Will’s offer to grab a beer at some sports bar over the road from the hospital. He appreciates the offer, is more than thankful for the immediate friendship and partnership he’s struck with the other Attending, but it’s been a heck of a day.

He wants nothing more than to have a hot soak and then curl up in his bed and just drift away.

Alas, nothing that day was going how Evan Buckley had pictured it.

He’s just about managed to drape his white coat over one of the breakfast bar stools, dumping his rucksack beside it, and is switching on the kettle for a cup of mint tea when the doorbell goes.

Heaving a sigh, he goes to answer it.

He does not expect Eddie Diaz on the other side.

For a long moment he just gawps, while Eddie pushes past him into the apartment. His shock broken, he mutters “come in then” and closes the door behind the other man.

“When were you gonna tell me?”

Buck just blinks. “Tell you what?” Had the day been not so exhausting, he might have been thinking clearer. At that moment, he’s about ready to collapse.

“That you’re not coming back!”

“Oh…” Buck resists the urge to roll his eyes, shuffling back into the kitchen and setting about making his tea. “I thought that was pretty obvious the moment you all replaced me with Bosko.”

“Replaced you…? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that Eddie.” Buck says, dumping out the teabag into the bin with a little more force than necessary, kettle clunking back down into its place. “You didn’t come here to catch up. You haven’t been over in weeks. If Bobby hadn’t told you anything, you wouldn’t be here.”

“I…”

“Spare me the excuses, Eddie. I’m tired and it’s been a really long day.”

The fists clench then, ugliness of anger rearing its head. “You’re exhausting.” Eddie spits, all traces of confusion and upset gone. “I come over to talk because I miss you, but you don’t want to. Yet you’re saying you left because, what? We haven’t talked to you enough?”

Buck finds his own hands gripping the countertop, those words spinning through his mind.

_You’re exhausting._

_You’re exhausting._

_You’re exhausting._

So much like Michael Buckley and Eddie doesn’t even know it.

“And here you are, calling me out for telling you how I felt, but you’re here because I didn’t tell you I got a new job. Way to be hypocritical, Eds.” Buck bites back, trying and failing to keep a hold of his own emotions.

“Don’t turn this on me.” Eddie snaps. “You’re the one who couldn’t just wait.”

“Wait for what? To get back to a place that doesn’t appreciate me? That thinks I’m just some stupid, reckless kid?” He shakes his head, taking a breath and turning back to the now tepid tea. “You told me to suck it up and move on, Eddie, so that’s what I’m doing.”

Eddie scoffs, turning to the door, but then his eyes must catch on the lab coat because he’s whirling back to Buck, incredulous. “And that involves sleeping with some doctor, too? Going back to Buck 1.0 was it?”

Buck gawps for a long moment, hurt overriding any knowledge that Eddie has no idea what he’s talking about. “You didn’t know me then.”

“I know enough.” Eddie replies, and the look on his face now is far from the one Buck was greeted with when he opened the door. “Can’t just stick something out, can you Buckley? Can’t work towards building something instead of destroying it?”

“Get out.” Buck’s words are terse, barely chained back as his hands grip the countertop once more.

“Gladly.”

The slam of the door is all he hears before he sinks to the floor and cries.

Maybe minutes, maybe hours, pass before he has the wherewithal to pull out his phone.

“Can you come over?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love guys!
> 
> Also, I just want to say that Eddie wasn’t actually that OOC in the last chapter. None of what I’m writing in these AU fics is OOC actually. It’s all there in the first few episodes of 3A; “You’re life isn’t over just because you’re not a firefighter,” “You’re exhausting. We all have our own problems but you don’t hear us whining about it,” “It sucks […] Brush it off and move on.” I love Eddie, don’t get me wrong, and I ship Buddie, but he is, for all intents and purposes, an emotionally constipated popcorn kernel, and a lot of the time, I just think Buck deserves better. The rest of the characters are the same with how they treat him as a joke, a kid, or a babysitter; the ‘golden retriever.’ I just like to see Buck bite back sometimes.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own 9-1-1, or the One-Chicago verse!

Maddie Buckley is furious when she arrives at the flat to find her brother red faced and teary eyed, sat on the floor of his kitchen, tea cold on the side. She rushes over immediately, pulling him up and taking him over to the couch. Arms wrapped tight around his thin frame, she presses a kiss to his forehead.

“What’s wrong?” She asks softly once he’s calmed slightly, still holding him against her. “Did you lose someone?”

When he’d told her that he was accepting a job at Med, she’d been worried. As much as she knew he loved helping people, he’d told her when she first arrived in LA about what happened in Chicago. She never wanted her brother to fall down such a dark hole again, and it scared her to think that he might.

The subtle shake of his head confuses her, but then he whispers “Eddie came over” and all becomes clearer.

Maddie knew how the 118 had been treating him, of course she had, and while he’d told her not to let it affect her relationship with Howard, that he was fine, she was nothing but a good sister. She hadn’t seen Howie in weeks, a fact that had not been missed on the firefighter. When asked, she said he ought to know why she was upset with him.

Of course, he hadn’t yet cottoned on.

So those three words from her brother have her shaking with anger. She can only imagine what he’d said to have Evan react in such a way. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She tells him softly.

Evan just shudders. “No… I think he’s right…”

“Evan…”

“I destroy everything I touch, Maddie. Mom and Michael. Dad and Kelly. Chicago. LA. Even you and Chim.” He buries his head in his hands, sobbing freely. “What use am I to anyone?”

Maddie pushes him back, staring at him directly, eye to eye. “Don’t you dare go there, Evan Buckley-Severide. You hear me? Michael Buckley was a monster. Benny died of cancer. Kelly made his own choices, and your own mistakes were just that. Mistakes. As for me and Chim, he’s complicit in what the 118 have done to you, how they’ve treated you, and that’s on him. You’re my baby brother. You always come first.”

Her words seem to soothe him; smoothing the crease of his brow and the downturn of his lips.

Wiping at puffy eyes, he smiles softly. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Nothing.” She smiles back, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Family doesn’t come with conditions.”

Those words too seem to hit home, his back straightening, head held high as he nods, confidence returning somewhat. “I think I’ve spent so long listening to what everyone else thinks of me, that I’ve forgotten how to think of myself.”

“You, Evan Buckley-Severide, are amazing. Don’t ever forget it.” Maddie says, still holding him into her side. She watches as he relaxes, a small smile on his lips.

“Thanks Mads.”

“Anytime.” She smiles back. “Buckley’s forever, remember?”

“I do.” He curls closer, letting his eyes flutter closed.

She cards her hand through his long locks for a long moment, like she used to do when they were kids, before she says. “So are you going to tell me how your first day went, or am I gonna have to pry it out of you?”

He laughs and tells her about Will showing him around, their time in the ED, and then operating on the woman in the car. He leaves out the comments from Athena, leaves her out completely in fact. As much as he knows Maddie’s words to be true, he still feels slightly responsible for the dip in her relationship with Chim, and doesn’t want her to feel a grievance against Athena too.

“So, Will, huh?” She asks him first, smirking.

Evan rolls his eyes. “Of course you would focus on him and not on my actual professional accomplishments.”

She shrugs. “You’re smart, we already know that, and a hell of a doctor. As far as relationships go, we’re still working on that.”

Evan taps her leg playfully. “I’ve spent all of five hours with the man. It’s hardly love at first sight.”

“Their eyes met over the emergency room floor – “

“Actually it was the locker room.”

“Okay, smart ass.” She taps him back. “Their eyes met over the pungent smell of socks and day old laundry.”

“Romantic.”

“Matching white coats, blazing gazes, two hearts both looking for another.”

“I don’t even know if he’s single.” Buck rolls his eyes again, sitting up. “And what is this, a Nicholas Sparks novel?”

“Ooh, and here we find Evan Buckley’s secret pleasure.” Maddie guffaws.

He taps her again, harder this time. “Shut up.”

“You should ask him out.” She tells him seriously as Evan heads into the kitchen, starting up the kettle again. “What have you to lose?”

“A lot.” He replies.

“Just think about it?”

“Yeah… Maybe.”

Station 118 is quiet the next day, when Athena arrives with lunch for the team. She’d headed over to the hospital first to speak to Buck – having still not gotten his statement about the accident – only to be told he wasn’t working until the afternoon. So instead she’d called her Chief to take a couple of hours at lunch and extend her shift into the evening, in case she couldn’t get him straight away, meaning she had time to make tacos for the team.

If she had a slight ulterior motive of talking to them – subtly – about Buck and trying to get them to make amends with the boy, well… no-one could blame her, could they?

Unfortunately, things weren’t going to be that simple.

On entering the firehouse loft, she sees Bobby in his office with a pile of paperwork, Chimney to one side on his phone (presumably to Maddie), Eddie and Lena playing some video game on the couch, and Hen on one of the other couches thumbing through her phone.

She smiles brightly at them all, despite the ugly feeling her conversation with Buck had left, as she places the tray of food down on the long dining table. “Someone want to get my husband?” She says with a soft laugh.

“I’ll get him.” Lena offers, giving her a light smile. Athena hadn’t really gotten to know the other woman, but she certainly didn’t hold any grudges against her for the 118’s transgressions with Buck.

As she heads over to Bobby’s office, Hen lifts her head from her phone, looking to Athena. “Hey, which do you think he’d like better, chocolate mint or cookies and crème?”

Athena’s brow tightens. “Hen, you’ve lost me already.”

“Buck.” The other woman stresses. “I want to get him a congratulations on your new job, cake. I might only be speaking for myself, but I thought giving him some space was right. I now realise it wasn’t. We should have been there for him more, and I want to make it right.”

“I wouldn’t bother.” Eddie grouses, not even looking up from his own phone; the game with Lena on pause.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hen shoots back.

“He doesn’t need us anymore.” Eddie replies. “He made that perfectly clear.”

“When?”

Athena’s gaze narrows on Eddie. “Eddie, what did you do?”

Finally, Eddie looks up at her, hurt and anger swimming in his eyes. “I went to talk to him, that’s it. He all but pushed me back out the door.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.” Athena replies.

Eddie shrugs. “What does it matter anyway? He’s not coming back.”

“It matters because we’re still his friends, his family.” Hen replies, eyes wide as she looks at Eddie. Even Bobby, stood frozen outside his office, looks concerned at the words spoken by the other man.

Eddie scoffs. “Yeah, that’s why he didn’t tell us a thing, right? Why he’s gone back to bedding anything with legs.”

Athena gasps, disappointment and anger flaring her expression. “Edmundo Diaz, tell me you didn’t say something you’re going to regret.”

“I said what needed to be said.” Eddie replies. “He doesn’t get his own way, so he acts out. And it doesn’t take a genius to see a doctor’s coat strewn on a chair and know he’s got someone hidden upstairs.”

She doesn’t stay to hear anymore, heading straight back to her patrol car and then down to the hospital. Eddie might not realise how far he’s put his foot in his mouth, but Athena does, and she knows she needs to make it right before they lose Evan for good.

She makes it to the hospital just before 1pm and somehow manages to catch Buck just as he’s walking inside. Her breathless greeting takes him by surprise, but he thankfully offers to talk to her inside his office.

It’s rather strange, seeing his name printed again as _Dr. Evan Buckley M.D._ on the outside of the door, but it also fills her with pride. Yes, she too may have mistook him, but that didn’t change how she felt as a somewhat surrogate mother.

“I’m guessing you’re here because of Eddie.” He says as soon as he sits down.

She gives him a small tick of her lips, half surprised and half amused. “What gave you that impression?”

“The look like thunder on your face.” He replies with a laugh. “Sara hasn’t had any change, so I doubt its case related.”

“Smart.” She chuckles. “You ever think of joining P.D instead?”

“Once or twice.” He shrugs, thinking of his Uncle Hank and Uncle O. Last Kelly mentioned, they’d set up some elite Intelligence Unit at 21. “So, defending him, or apologising for him?” He asks with a short chuckle. “Or you know, we could just get some cake instead?”

She appreciates the attempt at humour, even when she sees it for the deflection that it is. “Apologising, I suppose.” She says softly. “But more making sure that you know his thoughts are just his own, and that maybe he wouldn’t think them if he knew where you were.”

“He shouldn’t need to.” Buck replies, and she knows he’s right, even if it makes it harder. “He should have my back, regardless.”

“You’re right, of course Buckaroo but… are you also never expecting them to come in here?”

His eyes shine as they meet hers, and for the first time she can see the true pain he’s been hiding all this time. Her heart breaks. “I thought I was the only danger magnet there? Without me, shouldn’t they be invincible?”

“Buck…”

“Look, it’s fine, okay? I’m a big boy, Athena. I don’t need Eddie to like me.” He shakes his head, looking at his watch and then to the tablet on his desk. “Now, did you want to take my statement about Sara’s accident, or are we done? I’ve got a consult with her psych eval in ten.”

For the moment, she makes herself let it go, but never let it be said that Athena’s mother bear instincts disappear all that quickly.

The 118 really didn’t know what was coming for them.

He feels an invisible weight lift from his shoulders as soon as the elevator doors close behind Athena, like the opaque plate has slid between himself and the 118 once more.

He’s not an idiot. He knows that yes it is likely the 118 will come here, if only dropping off patients or for minor injuries. He knows it’s likely they’ll see each other again.

He’s simply trying to avoid it for as long as possible.

Like he’d said, he wanted to keep himself to himself, just for a little while longer.

He just wanted to keep his bubble safe, for as long as he could.

He just wanted to be.

So, shaking off the remnants of discomfort, head held high, he heads off to the psych consult’s office to begin his day.

It is, for the most part, rather dull actually after the excitement of the day before, but Buck prefers it that way. Simple. Clinical. Routine. It slips him back into his Chicago days with ease and whilst missing the presence of his brother, he feels relaxed for the first time in a long while.

Will’s constant companionship too, is nothing to be sniffed at.

Yet it’s his sister’s words that revolve around in his mind every time he’s near the russet haired physician, and they do make him wonder.

What did he have to lose?

He wasn’t in a relationship with anyone, and anything he and Eddie might have had was gone, in smoke and tatters along with any semblance of trust he’d had in him.

He owed nothing to no-one, except for himself.

Which is why, as their shift ends and they prepare to say goodnight to each other, Buck finds himself smiling over at Will and saying;

“Wanna grab that drink?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovies! Have a nice shiny new chapter!
> 
> Also, just a little bit of housekeeping: Please keep the comments section positive, happy and friendly. I’ve recently seen a bit of an influx of negative/spam comments and honestly it’s getting me down, which isn’t helping me with writing/posting. If you don’t like a story, just don’t read it; I don’t need to know why you don’t like it. All negative comments do is make me not want to write a story anymore (if any of you were wondering what happened to Deception, there’s your answer). Also spamming ‘update’ or similar is just going to annoy me; it won’t make me write/post faster.
> 
> That’s all. Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own 9-1-1 or the One-Chicago universe.
> 
> Content warning for mildly hurt Christopher, but I promise he’s okay! Dr Bucky makes everything better!

They decide to venture a little further from Med. The stars are out, blanketing the night sky, and the air is pleasant, unencumbered by rain.

They walk side by side for the duration, and Buck doesn’t think he’s imagining the slight twitch of Will’s fingers; like they’re wanting to take his own but are to unsure to do so.

They talk about their families – Will revealing that he has a brother in Chicago, to which Evan laughs and says that he does too.

“Small world.” Will grins. “Wonder if they know each other?”

“You said he’s a cop, so it’s likely.” Evan replies with his own smile. “Kelly works at Firehouse 51 and two of my Uncles are cops at CPD.”

“I know never to get on your bad side then.” Will chuckles.

“Somehow, I don’t think you will.”

They arrive at a small bar just on the outskirts of the city. Neon lights and strobe decorate the inside, each table complete with a small candle flickering in the centre. Will heads off to the bar to get their orders once they have a table, and Buck watches him converse with the barman a little longer than usual before he returns with two pints.

“You come here often?” Buck asks as he takes a sip. He knows how it sounds; how he meant for it to sound.

Will laughs softly. “That obvious?”

“No-one takes four minutes to order two beers.”

“Touche.” Will raises his glass, then takes a drink. “I come here at least once a week.”

Evan grins widely, having seen a sign on their way in. “That mean you come for karaoke night too?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” There’s a twinkle in Will’s eye then that sends a shiver down Evan’s back.

Oh yes, he definitely likes this man.

A couple of days later, their friendship has only grown further. It hadn’t moved to anything more, even if Buck was sure he saw the inkling of something, but he knows realistically he’s only known Will a handful of days.

That morning finds him with two surgeries, followed by another hour or so of paperwork. After that however, he heads down to the ED to cover for one of their Family Care Specialists who needed to go pick up their daughter from day-care.

It’s not a role he’s overtly familiar with, but knows his bright smile and way with young patients will be enough. Thankfully, he also has Will in the ED with him, and can’t help but grin whenever he passes the other man.

He’s just finishing up with a young boy who had suffered a concussion falling off a skate ramp, stitching up the cut sustained and admitting him for overnight observation, when he hears a very familiar voice ringing out from the ED waiting room.

“… nine years old. He has CP…”

Buck slips out from behind the bay partition, brow furrowed. “Carla?”

Sure enough the woman he knows and loves is stood at the reception desk, a very familiar mop of blonde hair sat in a hospital issue wheelchair beside her.

“We’ll have you seen as soon as a doctor becomes available.” Lianne, the nurse manning the reception desk, is saying, but Buck can see the way Carla is vibrating with nerves and worry, even if the boy beside her is quiet.

He remembers Athena’s words, had never thought about Christopher being the one brought in, and for all he’d wanted to keep his bubble safe and secure, he knows he can’t let them wait simply because he’d rather hide.

Not Christopher.

Never Christopher.

Slipping over to the reception desk, Buck smiles easily at Leanne. “I can take them.” Then he kneels beside the wheelchair, grinning broadly at Christopher. “Hey buddy.”

“Buck!” The boy beams back at him, and even though he can hear Carla’s confused “Buck?” all he can see is the boy he’s missed so dearly.

Ruffling Chris’ hair a little, he says. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

“My crutch got stuck.” Chris replies, voice softening as his excitement gives way to hurt. “And I fell.”

“Well, how about I take a look and make it all better?”

At Chris’ nod, he stands and takes the two over to one of the free bays. As he sets about checking Chris’ vitals and looking at his injured knee, he says to Carla. “Have you called Eddie?”

“I tried as soon as we got here.” Carla tells him. “But his phone rang out. Must be on a job.”

Buck nods, makes a few notes on Christopher’s chart, and then goes back to examining the red, swollen knee.

“You said it got stuck in the mud?” He asks them, referring to the notes Carla had given when she checked Chris in. She’d said that Chris’ crutch sunk into the mud at the playground as they were walking through. “Did your leg twist at all, superman?”

Chris nods. “A little. I k-kinda fell to the side.”

Buck nods, scribbles another note. “We’re gonna have to get you an x-ray bud, just to make sure, but I’m sure it’s just sprained.”

Chris sniffles, just a little. “Can you come with me?”

Buck’s heart breaks a little. “I’m afraid I’ve got to stay here, and help other kids, but,” He waves over one of the nurses, “Nurse Anna is going to take you for an x-ray and when you’re done, she knows where the best cookies are.”

Chris’ eyes brighten a little. “Really?”

Anna laughs. “I sure do.”

“She won’t even tell me.” Buck grins. “Carla’s gonna be with you too, and when you’re done, you come back and see me and I’ll make sure everything is better, okay?”

“’kay Buck.” Chris leans over and hugs him a little, and just for a moment Buck forgets that he hadn’t seen him in so long; for a moment, he forgets how much he missed this.

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but when it’s two women? Well, the 118 really didn’t know that a storm was about to hit.

Athena had struggled with wanting to go over there and say everything that was on her mind – to release the fury in her chest – because she didn’t want to give away the fact that she knew where Buck was; that wasn’t her call to make.

Yet the moment Maddie calls her, she’s ready; the two of them stepping into the 118 with nothing less than self-righteous anger guiding them.

Maddie heads straight over to the locker room to get the last of Evan’s belongings – left in the hope of returning, yet then seemingly abandoned in the whirlwind of getting a new job – that he had been too nervous to come and get himself.

Athena stands guard outside, narrowed eyes boring holes into her husband as he watches them, confused.

“’Thena?” His call is met with silence. Whilst none of them had put their feet into it as bad as Eddie had, they’d all been complicit with pushing Buck away, and Athena was done trying to pretend like they’d had a damn good reason. Like Athena, Hen seemed to be the only one at the firehouse actually trying to make amends.

Several eyes are looking over at them as Maddie exits the locker room, shunning her own call from Chim, and Athena just looks around at them, dismayed. “You all better hope to god that boy finds it in his heart to forgive you because right now… I don’t want to look at y’all myself.” Her eyes land directly on Eddie when she says this. “Make it right. Fools.”

Then she turns and heads out after Maddie.

She can only hope they take her words to heart before they lose Buck for good.

Buck has almost finished for the day when Christopher gets back from x-ray, but despite the slight weariness he feels at the end of a long shift, the bright beaming smile of Christopher Diaz never fails to make it better.

“You were right Buck!” He grins with a mouthful of cookie, and Buck can’t help but laugh.

“I told you.” Settling Christopher’s scan in place, he switches the light on the monitor on to take a look. “Okay bud, it’s definitely not broken.”

“Yay!” Chris grins, and Buck can see the relief on Carla’s face.

“Looks like the medicine we gave you has worked too. Swelling has gone down.” Slipping over to one of the cabinets at the side, he roots through it. “I’m gonna have to put a brace on it, just to make sure it heals well, but…” He pulls out two colours. “Do you want to be Iron Man, or Captain America?”

Chris giggles and immediately points at the red one. “Iron Man!”

“Iron Man it is.” He grins, settling it onto Chris’ knee and strapping it around correctly. “Okay buddy. No walking for a few days. Lots of rest and water. Come back and see me if it starts hurting too much, okay?”

“Okay, Buck.” Chris grins and hugs him tight once more.

For a moment, Buck just lets him enjoy it, before he has to reluctantly pull away and tell Chris to sit tight for a moment while he talks to Carla.

“If it hurts a bit, you can give him children’s Tylenol, but anything more than that – if the swelling comes back – bring him back in.” Buck tells her.

Carla just smiles. “You were really good with him.”

Buck can’t help but laugh. “It’s what I’m trained to do, Carla.”

“I don’t mean that.” She shakes her head. “Though don’t expect for a minute that I ain’t wondering exactly how you got that fancy white coat of yours. I mean, with him.”

“Carla…”

“I don’t know why you haven’t been around… but boy, he misses you.”

Buck just sighs. “I miss him too.”

She looks like she wants to say more, but simply pulls him into a hug. “I’m proud of you. Now, you look like you need some rest.”

Buck smiles. “You’re okay?” He has other patients to tend to in his last hour but… he’s seen the way she’s been panicked for the last few hours, and she’s always been so good to him.

“I’m good.” She smiles back. “Eddie’s on his way. You do you.”

He appreciates the warning, even if she doesn’t know everything, and nods. “You have my number if you need me.”

“Always, Buckaroo.”

He takes another moment to say goodbye to Christopher, and then he’s back in the thick of the ED with Will by his side, overseeing a new intake of patients.

“You know,” Will says later as they make their way down to the locker room, “I hope I’m not being presumptuous, but – ”

Buck grins, feeling a tingle wash over his skin at that familiar sparkle in Will’s eyes. “Not presumptuous at all.”

Will grins back, nerves lifted. “Well I’m glad to hear that.”

“You were saying?”

Will chuckles, stops and turns to face him. “I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me tonight?”

And Buck, for all his exhaustion, wants nothing more. Still, he’s never played easy to get. “I mean… I did have plans but… it looks like I’m available.”

“Oh, I feel honoured.”

“You should be.” His grin widens as he heads off down the corridor once more. “It takes a lot to woo me, Dr Halstead.”

The look of joyful disbelief on Will’s face would be enough to make anyone laugh. “Oh, I look forward to trying, Dr Buckley.”

Eddie feels exhausted by the time he gets to the hospital. Between Athena and Maddie stopping by and a call straight after, he’d missed all the notifications from Carla about Chris’ accident.

As soon as he’d realised, he’d left shift early and nipped quickly home to get Chris some fresh clothes that would fit over the brace, before racing to the ED.

He finds them quickly enough, holding Chris close and whispering reassurances.

Carla looks exhausted, and Eddie can only imagine how she’d been feeling all afternoon.

“You should go home.” He says to her softly. “Get some rest.”

“I’m good.” She says, even stifling a yawn. “I have to make sure two of my favourite boys eat first.”

Eddie can’t help but chuckle. “You’re a literal angel, Carla.”

“I do my best, honey.”

“You ready to go, bud?” Eddie turns to his son.

Chris nods, but looks at Carla. “Can I say bye to Buck again, first? I drew him this!” He holds up the paper he’d been colouring on whilst they were waiting, showing Buck in his white coat holding Chris’ hand.

Eddie just blinks. That was the last thing he’d expected his son to say. “Buck?”

Chris smiles widely at him, nodding furiously. “Buck made my leg all better. He’s a doctor!”

Eddie looks at Carla, shellshocked, but she just gives him a look that says ‘you know that boy is smarter than any of you ever gave him credit for.’

In an instant, Eddie feels sick.

He remembers, once, Buck telling him that his father had pressured him toward medicine; another time, after the explosion, when Buck said he’d already left one career behind.

Eddie hadn’t thought anything much of it at the time, but now… he couldn’t deny that the two people sat with him wouldn’t lie, nor the fact that Bobby had told them Buck had gotten something else.

He remembers the white coat strewn on the breakfast bar, remembers the harsh words thrown at someone he called his best friend; realises how much of a fool he really had been.

He races to the front desk, breathlessly asks for “Buck? Uh… Dr Buckley?” only to be told that the man had left for the evening.

Something in Eddie deflates, heart fracturing under the pressure of his own mistakes.

He only hopes he can get the chance to make it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Squee!* I am honestly loving Will and Buck. Also, did anyone see the One Chicago Day behind the scenes stuff posted earlier? Nick (Will) did a tour around the Med set and actually joked about Will and Connor falling in love after their S1 fight in the elevator, so… Bi!Will is now canon.


End file.
